The invention relates to a method for electronic hit or shot evaluation of shots fired in a firing range for recreational shooting and hunt training, in which the target to be shot at is projected, on to a target wall as target output, via a light source as a bright spot movable in all directions and, for evaluating hits, an infrared camera produces a record of the shot image on the target wall, and relates to a firing range.
A method of this kind and firing range, is known from DE 37 29 613 C2. With this, the target wall is photographed by an infrared camera and, before the shot is fired, its image is written as a digital signal into the memory of a computer, in which it is available as a gray scale value, arranged in lines and columns. The coordinates of the light spot appearing on the target wall, as well as the image generated of the shot-at target wall after the shot has been fired, are stored in the computer and the gray scale values of the two images are then linked to one another. The coordinates of the changes established during linking are compared with the coordinates of the light spot at the time of the firing of the shot and the position of the shot at the target is determined.
A significant disadvantage of this firing range related to evaluation with an infrared camera is that, in this method a thermal image is regarded as an unchangeable static variable, however, this is not the case. A camera operating in a thermal range supplies a chronologically changing signal. The impacting low pulse energy soon disappears owing to the “self-generation” of the wall. A comparison of this kind is therefore completely unnecessary and can even lead to erroneous interpretation if the wall is not located immediately before the impact of the ammunition. However, this could be carried out only with several fixed infrared cameras, as the resolution of one camera for a target wall of typically more than 30 m distant is too low. The use of several infrared cameras is not possible on grounds of cost. Even with a moving camera this method cannot photograph the wall immediately after actuation of the acoustic switch and also before impact of the ammunition. To implement this the camera would have to stop moving in less than 78 ms and also file the image in the memory before the shot. This time is still essentially relatively short taking into consideration that the camera records the ammunition moving towards the wall much earlier.
The stated time relates to a slow small shot cartridge with a speed of Vo=400 m/s and a V25 of 240 m/s at a distance of 25 m. The positioning of a moving camera with respect to a part surface of the wall required for evaluation and accuracy requires the photographing of many individual images. Because of the change in these individual images with time, in the comparison procedure the memory would first have to be updated before each new shot. One of these positions would first have to be covered after the firing, in order to achieve the necessary coincidence of the takes in this method. The evaluation time therefore also becomes longer by the travelling time taken to reach the next part surface. The evaluation time is therefore slower not only because of the larger amount of data, but also owing to the panning time. This means that the marksman cannot fire a second shot in quick succession if he misses. However, this is an important feature for the marksman. In addition larger intervals arise between each firing.